Jesus pictured the Kingdom of God as the dimension of the spirit into which we are called to enter, where the axioms are not the usual ones of the physical world, although the imagery seems to give to the Kingdom a sense of space. As we have seen and must always keep in mind, most basically for Jesus, the Kingdom is a description of the presence of God as spirit and power. Here, then, in this usage, the spirit and power of God is described in the analogies of space. This is demonstrated in those places where the Kingdom is something to be entered within history, like a vineyard where two sons are told to go and work, and one says he will, but doesn 't, and the other says he won 't, but does (Matt. 21:28-32). In the parable of the laborers, some enter the vineyard in the morning, others late in the day, and time is passing. This is an historical scene, and the Kingdom exists to be entered within the lifetime of those invited (Matt. 20:1-16). As Jesus said to the pharisees: "Woe to you. . .for you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering" (Luke 11:52). The Kingdom of God in this sense is not some far-off goal, but the dimension of God's presence, to be entered now.
From Rediscovering the Power of the Gospels: Jesus' Theology of the Kingdom (Wooster, Ohio: The Iona Press, 1982).
